


Slivers

by zarahjoyce



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-26
Updated: 2015-04-26
Packaged: 2018-03-25 20:11:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3823216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zarahjoyce/pseuds/zarahjoyce
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Have we made things right?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Slivers

She awakes choking on the thick air. Beside her, he jolts with a curse and turns and wraps his arms around her, murmurs tender nothings to pull her back from one nightmare and into another.  
  
 _Shh. Shhh. I’m here. Don’t be afraid. I’m here._  
  
The world around them lay dormant and still -   
  
\- and so did their impending death, lying a few feet away.  
  
-  
  
 _Are you there?_  
  
She reaches for the wall, feels its coldness against her skin - and yet, when she closes her eyes, she can see him, his face contorted with grief and pain and worry - like her own is.  
  
 _Yes._  
  
 _Are you all right?_  
  
She doesn’t answer.  
  
She doesn’t have to.   
  
They will see each others’ scars soon enough.  
  
-  
  
And then she feels herself getting lifted, and before she can even speak, he’s running, running, and the world fades into a slow hum.   
  
Her heart races and she closes her eyes and screams, and against her shoulder his chest rumbles and it takes her a second to realize that he is laughing.  
  
 _Laughing_.  
  
She clutches him tighter and laughs along with him.  
  
-  
  
 _We cannot be afraid._  
  
He drags a finger down her cheek and kisses her forehead, and she steps closer to him, holds on to his arms as though they are her anchors.  
  
 _I know._  
  
His mind is a mess of imagined pain and deaths - his and hers - and her breath quickens in recognition of his own unvoiced fears.  
 _  
You won’t lose me._  
  
He kisses her again, his mouth branding her skin.  
  
 _I better not._  
  
-  
 _  
This - all of it - is our fault._  
  
She looks at his eyes, finds grief and anguish in them, and a sob threatens to strangle her throat. He pulls her close, needing contact as much as she does, and she finds slivers of solace in his warmth.  
  
 _We will make it right._  
  
-  
  
She stands her ground - _alone_ \- and she smiles at him as she does so.  
  
 _Go_.  
  
He returns her smile and does her bidding.  
  
-  
  
It doesn’t take long for her blood to turn cold and her soul to shatter.  
  
She screams.  
  
-  
  
 _Have we made things right?  
_  
She touches glass and her skin feels cold. Closing her eyes, she reaches for his hand, clutches it, and she smiles.   
  
_I will._


End file.
